Doing the Vallée Blanche

The Vallée Blanche (White Valley) is probably the most famous stretch of off-piste skiing in the world. Apart from the initial scramble down a narrow ridge it is not the most challenging route in the Alps and is often considered a good finalé for skiers and boarders of quite modest skills.

But comparisons, often made, between the Vallée Blanche and a blue ski piste shouldn’t lull would be adventurers into a false sense of security. In the fantastic high mountain environment the dangers are real. A wrong move on the summit ridge could send the unlucky victim skittering hundreds of meters down the valley to Chamonix. As the spring days grow warmer, the snow bridging crevasses starts to weaken and falls are not uncommon. Although many inexperienced skiers and boarders complete the route each season there are also many unlucky victims. As a basic rule, if you are not confident about travel on glaciated terrain and crevasse rescue you should travel with a guide.

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Posted by davidof on Tuesday, 23 March, 2004 at 11:11 AM